A privileged caste of priests who trained for up to 20 years in preparation for their duties as guardians of sacred lore, the druids were masters of magic and manipulators of supernatural forces. Besides their priestly role, the druids also administered justice and guided the actions of the ruling Celtic chiefs or kings of Britain, Ireland and France
The name druid is Celtic for “knowing the oak tree” and worshippers often performed their rites in densely wooded areas. Robed in white, the revered a multitude of martial gods and goddess, offering them both human an animal sacrifices to mark seasonal festivities. In the first century BC Julius Caesar wrote extensively of druid activities, particularly of the sinister ritual sacrifices that struck terror into the hearts of all Celts.
The Celts believed that the soul resided in the head and feared that a severed head – which retained a person’s consciousness - might be used for magical purposes. Druids were known to have preserved severed heads, and dried heads have been found at some ancient druid sites.
From the early 1900s up until 1988, modern druids (who have no connection with the Celtic brotherhood) were allowed to use Stonehenge to celebrate the summer solstice.